Weight loss surgeries can lead to complications
Weight loss surgeries can lead to complications
ABOUT 40 per cent of patients who have weight loss surgeriesdevelop complications such as a hernia, abdominal cramping or pneumonia in the six months after the procedure, a study shows. Researchers say such complications often add thousands of dollars to patients’ medical bills.
The study, which was conducted by government economists, is considered the first in-depth look at the medical costs incurred in the six months after bariatric surgeries, which have skyrocketed in recent years.
Gastric bypass, which creates a much smaller stomach, is performed on people who are very ovese, 40 kg or more over a healthy weight. It can be done laparoscopically or in open surgery. The average cost is $25,000.
The researchers examined insurance claims from 2,522 people who had weight loss surgeries, most of them quastric bypass done with the open surgery. Among findings published in August’s Medical Care:
About 22 per cent had a complication during their initial hospital stay.
Overall, 18 per cent returned to the hospital within six months with complications. They were either re-admitted, seen as an outpatient or treated in the emergency room.
Other complications included leakage problems at the site of the connection between the stomach and the intestine.
Those with complications had medical bills averaging $36,500, compared with about $25,000 for those with no complications.
Those who had to be re-admitted to the hospital had medical bills averaging about $65,000.
“This is a complex surgery, and for the year after the surgery there will be potential complications that could be costly,” says lead author William Encinosa, a senior economist with the Agency for Health Care Research and Quality.
People who have procedures such as gastric bypass lose and keep off an average of 20 to 30 kg for up to 10 years, research shows. Diabetes, hypertension, sleep apnea and high cholesterol are often eliminated or improve, Encinosa says.
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07-27-2006, 06:19 PM
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